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You
are here: As A Child
A report on ChildSpirit 2004, the 2nd North American Conference on Children's Spirituality. Sponsored by the Institute of Noetic Sciences and Childspirit, held October 7-10, 2004, Asilomar Conference Grounds, Pacific Grove, CA
by Jack Yantis
We live in tumultuous times, a dangerous era where dying cultural systems and emerging ones flood into our being often without invitation. The apparent essential question that keeps coming up is "what is missing?" Although this is a very important question and people have created long lists of what is absent, I feel there is another one, a deeper and more crucial question, that leads us to the heart of this dilemma which is "what are we forgetting?" In our highly technological, nature-phobic, dehumanizing, dominant educational system, where is there a curriculum for wisdom, for joy, for sustainable play and for developing the capacity to hold in balance our desire for certainty with the seeming chaotic nature of the world and its mystery of being and becoming?
Among the many philosophers, educators, artists, scientists, cultural critics and spiritual leaders exploring this "forgetting," the pioneering efforts of Tobin Hart has brought forth a new field of scholarly endeavor –- children's spirituality. Hart, who is on the Psychology faculty of the University of West Georgia in Carrolton, GA, has written a book, The Secret Spiritual World of Children. The culmination of a five-year research project by Hart, the book explores the innate spiritual dimension of children. Reaching across a diverse perspective drawn from transpersonal psychology, cultural anthropology, literature and the arts and multicultural spiritual traditions, Hart shares the stories of children and adults who have had deep encounters with the ineffable.
Out of this rich material, four themes are of great significance to education, learning and the future.
1) Listening for wisdom- Is wisdom age-specific? From whom must it come? Wisdom is a way of knowing and being that takes us beyond the limits of the small self, beyond the repository of our experience, and into the deep stream of consciousness. Children live immersed in and are a part of this stream. As Buckminster Fuller once remarked, "Children are our elders in universal time."
2) Wonder - Children have the sense of the boundless, the possible, the joyful, and the timeless.
3) Between you and me – Children can be naturally compassionate.
4) Wondering - Children ask the big questions - Why are we here? Who am I? and continue to ask them.During the evolution of the book, Hart established, along with his wife, Mary Hart, the ChildSpirit Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to understanding and nurturing the spirituality of children and adults. The mission of the Institute is "to foster that within us which strives for unity, which hungers for meaning and value, which wonders, which knows directly, and which is deeply connected to others." Among the many ventures the organization sponsors including trainings, a summer camp and a strong Web presence, ChildSpirit has presented several conferences.
The latest one, ChildSpirit 2004, was held October 7-10, 2004 at the Asilomar Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove, CA. Co-sponsored with the Institute of Noetic Sciences, an organization which has been exploring the frontiers of consciousness for 35 years, the conference brought together parents, children, teachers, artists, educators, scholars and spiritual practitioners to a beautiful setting along the Pacific Ocean for a weekend of presentations, workshops, performances and numerous encounters with spirit, soul and community.
The conference opened with a conversation by Hart, "The Secret Spiritual World of Children." An accomplished storyteller, he shared many of the stories from the book while he delineated the various themes articulated through his findings.
This led to a variety of breakout sessions and subsequent plenary presentations.
Among the numerous offerings, I was able to witness these highlights.1) "Mindfulness Education for Children" with Nancy Fischer. Nancy, who is author of Mind Power for Children and executive director of Goldie Hawn's Bright Light Foundation, presented an overview of the work this young organization is doing to bring mindfulness practices to young children.
2) A panel discussion on education and children's spirituality with Bob London, Jack Miller, Aostre Johnson, Rachael Kessler and David Marshak, all leaders in the field of education and spirituality. This was a lively and engaging conversation about how we can nurture spirituality in the classroom. Recurring perspectives included creating a safe environment for asking the deep questions, spending time in nature, developing a capacity for reflective silent time, having opportunities for the arts, ritual and ceremony, and strengthening the teacher's own practice for going within, for direct connection with the infinite.Throughout the two days, there were other plenary sessions with Dr. Lut Ketut Suryani from Bali on "Culture, Children and Spirituality", Judith Jenya and her work with children of war in Bosnia, Jordan and North Ireland, and a marvelous presentation by Michael Mendizza on his work with Joseph Chilton Pearce.
Together, they have written a new book, Magical Parent, Magical Child, which distills Pearce's groundbreaking work into an accessible guide to bring forth play into our consciousness. Noting that the more intelligent the species, the more playful they are, Pearce and Mendizza state that play is the natural optimal learning relationship. Drawing from flow theory, the works of David Bohm, Krishnamurti and Fred Donaldson, Heart Math and Pearce's own writings, they have created a way for adults to move beyond the reflex patterns of our anxiety-driven, contest culture and shed the adulteration that has divided work from play. Further information about the book can be founded at the Touch the Future website.
After two days of conversations, singing and dancing, walks on the beach, superb food and several other wonderful sessions, the conference concluded with Ocean Robbins's "When Hope Takes A Stand." Robbins, who is the creator of Y.E.S (Youth for Environmental Sanity) and son of John Robbins, whose book, Diet for a New America, was pivotal in the organic food movement, gave an impassioned overview of the work he and Y.E.S are doing today. With their YouthJams, Y.E.S is creating opportunities for young peace activists around the world to cultivate their capacity for community, hope, beauty, power and joy in these tragic times. He reminded the audience that we grow old by deserting our ideals and that the world can be a place guided by love and spirit.
Yet, the conference really ended when a group of young people who had been attending their own mini-conference, shared a gift of gratitude and love that was taught to them by Phil L'Hironelle, a member of the Cree nation. Joining in song and movement, the conference participants blessed each other with "You are a Circle, I am Circle, You are Healing Me, I am Healing" which led to great humor when one young person suggested that 'lollipop' might replace the word, 'circle', in the song.
Returning home, I am finding my own work at Antioch University Seattle imbued with this connection to the spiritual intentions of education and of exploring the nurturing and joyful aspects of teaching and learning. In a world where religiosity is often confused with spirituality, where the relational health of being is often locked into struggles of power and control, it is refreshing to remember the child within. "In every adult there lurks a child – an eternal child, something that is always becoming, is never completed, and calls for unceasing care, attention and education. That is the part of the human personality that wants to develop and become whole."* It is my hope that this will become an essential component of our emerging consciousness now and in future generations.
*from Tobin Hart's The Secret World of Children Inner Ocean Publishing, Makaweo, Maui, HI, 2003, a quote by Carl Jung, page 266.
Jack Yantis has been actively involved in the worlds of performance and education for the last 25 yrs. He holds an MFA from New York University. Currently he is Associate Faculty, Center for Programs in Education, Antioch University Seattle, where he teaches integrated arts courses in their Teacher Preparation programs. He has taught in K-12 private and public schools in Washington State, Georgia and South Carolina. He is also a choreographer and director who has worked for several dance companies and community theatres and even still manages to dance himself. For more detailed information about Jack and his work in the world, go to www.jackyantis.com or email jmoving@mindspring.com.
©December 2004 New Horizons for Learning
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